Ravichandran Ashwin declared ICC Cricketer of the Year as he wins the prestigious Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy.
Ashwin added 48 Test wickets to his career tally between 14 September 2015 to 20 September 2016. His Sri Lankan counterpart Rangana Herath picked more wickets (54) during the time period, however Ashwin’s stats were better.
The Indian picked six five-wicket hauls in the eight matches that he played, while Herath picked four fifers in the ten matches he played.
Third time lucky, Virat Kohli has been named captain of the ICC ODI Team of the Year. Batsman Rohit Sharma and spinner Ravindra Jadeja also feature in the team at number three and eight, respectively.
Cricket legends Rahul Dravid, Gary Kirsten and Kumar Sangakkara selected both, the ODI and Test teams, based on the cricketers' performances between 14 September 2015 to 20 September 2016.
The ODI team includes three Australians, Indians, South Africans each, and one each from England and West Indies. South Africa's AB de Villiers has been selected for the sixth time since 2010, while Australian pacer Mitchell Starc has been picked up for the third time in four years.
ICC ODI Team of the Year 2016 (in batting order):
Ravichandran Ashwin is the only Indian cricketer to feature in the ICC Test Team of the Year.
The side includes four Englishmen, three Australians, and a player each from New Zealand, India, Sri Lanka and South Africa.
England’s Alastair Cook has been named captain of the ICC Test Team of the Year for the third time. Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow (wicketkeeper) and Ben Stokes are other three Englishmen in the team. South African fast bowler Dale Steyn has been included in the team for the eighth time in nine years.
ICC Test Team of the Year 2016 (in batting order):
Marais Erasmus, who officiated India’s recently concluded Test series against England, wins the David Shepherd Trophy for ICC Umpire of the Year. He was chosen by the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees along with the Test playing captains.
The 52-year-old umpire made his international debut in October 2007 in an ODI between Kenya and Canada.
Pakistan's captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, wins the ICC Spirit of Cricket Award to become the first Pakistani player to win the title. Mahendra Singh Dhoni took home the award in 2011, while the other previous winners have been Daniel Vettori (2012), Mahela Jayawardena (2013), Katherine Brunt (2014) and Brendon McCullum (2015).
The 42-year-old took over Pakistan cricket team's captaincy in November 2010. Currently the Test skipper, he was also captain of the ODI team till his retirement after the 2015 World Cup. Under his lead, Pakistan achieved the No.1 Test ranking in September 2016, for the first time since the current rankings system was introduced.
In a bid to recognise and honour consistent performers in international cricket over a 12-month period, the ICC instituted the annual awards ceremony in 2004. Cricketers are honoured among several categories, including Cricketer of the Year (winner presented with the Sir Garfield Sobers Trophy), Test Cricketer of the Year and ODI Cricketer of the Year.
Watch this space for all the live updates on ICC Awards 2016.
The awards for 2016 will cover performances in international cricket between 14 September 2015 and 20 September 2016. In an announcement made last week, the ICC named New Zealand’s Suzie Bates as winner of the Women’s ODI and T20I Player of the Year.
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